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Upgrading the offensive line needs to be one of the team's top offseason priorities. While Sewell opted out of the 2020 season, the 2019 first-team AP All-American was dominant in his true-sophomore campaign and won't turn 21 until October. If Sewell lasts until No. 5, the No. 2 prospect on our 2021 NFL Draft Big Board should be a no-brainer selection.

Protecting quarterback Joe Burrow should be Cincinnati's primary concern this offseason, after the Bengals' line allowed 48 sacks in 2020. Burrow was pressured or hit on nearly 30% of his dropbacks before he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 11. Sewell is the top offensive lineman in the class despite opting out last season, and he'd help keep the Bengals' franchise QB upright for years to come.

Ben Baby on his fit with the Bengals: Sewell represents long-term stability at left tackle that should help solidify an offensive line that still needs to address the interior. If Sewell comes aboard, that likely means Jonah Williams will slide to right tackle.

Easy pick for the Bengals, especially with Chase off the board. Major protection for Joe Burrow.

Drafting Chase not only addresses the only real hole we saw in Joe Burrow's game as a rookie -- the deep ball -- it also reunites the Bengals quarterback with his favorite target from 2019 when he turned in the greatest single-season performance in college football history. It's true the offensive line currently is the more glaring need, but the Bengals have the available cash to address that in free agency, freeing them to give Burrow another elite weapon, and established connection, in Chase. -- Jay Morrison

Yes, Cincinnati's offensive line was a disasterbacle in 2020, and if Penei Sewell and Ja'Marr Chase are both still on the board with the fifth overall pick, I wouldn't blame the Bengals at all if they took Sewell to keep Joe Burrow out of the fire. You're not going to get very far offensively if your quarterback is pressured on 146 of his 453 dropbacks despite a predominantly quick passing game, as Burrow was last season before he suffered ACL and LCL injuries in Week 10.

But if the choice is Chase, Cincinnati's offense gets a jet-pack right off the bat. Last we saw of Chase, who opted out of the 2020 season, he was taking in 84 catches for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns from Burrow himself, and nuking every defense LSU faced in 2019. Chase is as clean a player as you'll find in this draft class. He doesn't have any discernible flaws, and the things that stand out -- ridiculous strength and determination from the line of scrimmage to the catch point to after the catch, outstanding route awareness, and sudden acceleration at the second level -- really stand out. I recently wrote an entire article about how Chase has been able to dominate defenses with simple slant routes, and he reminds me of Green Bay's Davante Adams in his refusal to be denied the football.

The Bengals need to protect their young, talented quarterback Joe Burrow, whose rookie season was cut short due to injury. Getting the best offensive tackle in this draft class should help.

Miami already reunited Tua with Devonta Smith, and now Cincinnati has the chance to do the same with Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase. But that offensive line was trash last year -- bottom three in the league according to ProFootballFocus -- and now they have a chance to pair Jonah Williams with the best offensive lineman in the country. Can't go wrong with either approach, but I'd build up front first to protect the young quarterback.

It could be seen as a personal affront to Joe Burrow if owner/GM Mike Brown doesn't pick an offensive lineman in the first round. Sewell being available here would be a best-case scenario for the Bengals. The 2019 Outland Trophy winner -- he opted out last season due to the threat of COVID-19 -- isn't flawless, but his ceiling is as high as they come (he'll be 21 in October). Sewell produced the single highest graded season as a sophomore Pro Football Focus ever recorded for a Power 5 offensive tackle.